CleftProud

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As the largest cleft community in the world, CleftProud has been dedicated to empowering and supporting every person affected by cleft lip and palate since 2015. CleftProud is a community for anyone affected by Cleft Lip and Palate to share their stories, connect, support and become proud of who they are and what they look like.

01/02/2026

💙 (Story): “Hello! My name is Kenzie and I am 20 years old. I was born with a unilateral cleft and palate. I have had 13 surgeries and just about every dental device you can imagine. My first surgery was at 6 months old and my last was about 6 months after my 18th birthday. I was also fortunate enough to be a part of an experimental trial that anchored hooks into my upper and lower jaw and coupled with rubber bands it corrected my severe underbite. Fun fact: I was the most successful case in the country! It was definitely hard to look different than everyone when I was a child and rise above bullying but over time, I have fallen in love with my cleft and it is now one of my favorite things about myself. I am ” 💙

09/26/2025

After running in the 16th Annual Cleft Palate Gallop 5K in Chapel Hill, NC, the Founder of CleftProud, , had the privilege of speaking about his journey and we’d like to share a few highlights here, from his perspective:

“I was born with a cleft lip & palate and have had over 20 surgeries in my life. Growing up, there weren’t many resources for children like me (1 in 700 children are born with Cleft) so during the 6 month recovery of my jaw reconstruction surgery, I decided to create that resource and launched CleftProud. Since then, we’ve granted college scholarships, sent our products around the world, and most importantly, created the community I didn’t have 10 years ago.

The 5k itself was incredible: over $27,000 was raised for the UNC Craniofacial Team, and the Magical Moments Foundation gifted a craniofacial patient courtside seats to a UNC basketball game. The UNC Dental students who organized this year’s event are an impressive group!

Throughout my life, a consistent thread has been the value and impact that small things can have; whether it was words of encouragement from friends and family, internal dialogue as I walked around the hospital floor after a surgery and realized, although I was in pain, how lucky I was to be standing, or simply a stranger’s smile - moments like these are magical.

I closed my speech with a call to action which I’ll include here for each of you:

A smile, an act of kindness or a helping hand - they matter more than we realize. So this week, I urge each of you reading this to create a magical moment for a stranger. Help them see that their differences (visible or invisible) are something to be proud of and hopefully someone will do the same for you.”

We need more smiles in this world!

09/19/2025

💙 (Story): “My name is Alyssa! I was born with a unilateral cleft lip in the 90s. I’ve had 6 surgeries and braces twice. When I was younger, I struggled with self-confidence and self-image a lot. I still do, but after working through it with a therapist, I was able to heal and get married to an amazing guy. And a year ago, I gave birth to a son (my second child) who also has a unilateral cleft lip. He’s the biggest smiler ever! I feel this little guy has the BEST person to be his mama. I’m also nervous for what he has to go through but it will be interesting to see it from a parent’s perspective. I’ve also made it a personal goal to give him as much confidence as possible! We are !” 💙

04/17/2025

💙 (Story): “Hi! My name is Sarah. I was born with cleft lip and cleft palate, the only one in my family. This journey builds resilience and often instills a deep sense of empathy and strength. With each hurdle crossed, from all surgeries to self-acceptance, l am grateful for my experience as it’s made me a better person. These days I’m not ashamed and have even taken up a new hobby of modeling which seemed impossible when I was younger. Looking forward to connecting! I am !” 💙

04/03/2025

💙 (Story): “Hi! My name is Moneiphae. I am 30 years old. I was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. Growing up was very hard, being bullied most of my life, having to endure questions, people staring, pointing and laughing. Because of that, it took a very lot long time to accept myself. But now, I can say with confidence, I love myself more than ever. I am still sometimes self-conscious but would not change my journey. I love me, I love who I’ve become, I can now talk about my journey without feeling embarrassed or nervous. We all have our flaws, mine is just visible and I love it! To all clefties, never let anyone dim your light & smile - life is too short to be sad. You’re worth it!! I am !” 💙

02/18/2025

💙 (Story): “Hi! My names Bella Montoya, a 19 year old girl from Phoenix! I was born with bilateral cleft lip and palate, and have had 14 surgeries. At this point, any further surgery is cosmetic, and I’m blessed to be able to have an amazing Craniofacial team in Phoenix be there for me throughout this journey. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with groups of expecting mothers with cleft babies, to ease their worries, which melted my heart. If I could leave you with one thing of advice it would be - Don’t let other people’s perspective of you, stop you from your dreams! I am !” 💙

01/26/2025

💙 (Story): “Hi! My name is Hayden - I’m 27 from the Gold Coast, Australia. I was born with a cleft lip so I underwent multiple surgeries from when I was born all the up to 21 years of age. I’ve always known that I look different and although this was difficult in my early years, I learned to embrace it as I got older. It’s a uniqueness and story that not a lot of people have heard or seen before! Always glad to be apart of this community. I am !” 💙

01/23/2025

💙 (Story): “Hi! My name is Kendall. I’m 23 years old and I was born with a cleft lip. I’ve had a few surgeries in my early childhood. Growing up looking different than other kids was hard but I learned to lean on God and celebrate the uniqueness and beauty of how He made me. I am always encouraged by other people’s cleft stories, and knowing that I’m not alone in this journey is an incredible feeling. Having a cleft lip was one of the main reasons I wanted to become a nurse and now, after just recently starting my job, I have the wonderful opportunity to share with so many of my patients my story as well as Jesus’ love for each and every one of us. Looking “different” is a thing to be celebrated! I am !” 💙

01/05/2025

💙 (Story): “Hello, my name is Rachel! I am 18 and was born with cleft lip and palate. I have had about 7 surgeries in my life so far. Since I have an underbite, I am currently getting ready to have upper and lower jaw surgery early this year. After this, I will have one more surgery on my nose. With all the things I have been through, it was inevitably worth it. Surely, my cleft has helped me realize that beauty comes from strength and resilience. I am !” 💙

09/14/2024

💙 (Story): “Hi! Our names are Victoria and Penelope - we’re sisters born 1 year apart and both born with cleft lips and palate! Combined, we have had 10 surgeries! We are about to graduate kindergarten and pre-k! We are smart, strong, sassy and loving! Without the love and support from our family, friends and surgical teams we would not be where we are today! We are !” 💙

09/09/2024

💙 (Story): “Hey everyone! My name is Renee and I was born with a bilateral cleft lip & palate on my left side. I have had 7 surgeries, braces 3 times, and countless other retainers, expanders, etc. Although it was hard growing up not talking or looking like anyone else, I still managed to find the good in my situation. My speech teacher in Elementary school, was my hero and helped me rise above my insecurities. From then on, I wanted to be a speech therapist just like her and will be attending Nazareth University in the fall for Communication Sciences and Disorders. I hope to work on a pediatric craniofacial team like the one that has changed my life. I would not be where I am without my cleft and will always be !” 💙

09/03/2024

💙 (Story): “Hi there! My name is Ivan. I’m 24 years old and from Havana, Cuba. I was born with cleft lip and had two surgeries when I was young. In my childhood, I wasn’t confident in myself but I always knew I was special - nowadays, I feel so grateful and unique. I’m an industrial engineer and sometimes I dance.
I just want to remind you that you are beautiful and we are all one big family, so you’re never alone. I am !” 💙

Address

Chapel Hill, NC

Website

http://www.CleftProud.com/

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